Vila vs. Galvao, part one. Part two is after the jump. All videos in this post via YouTube.com/BFCLUB
Last night’s Bellator 55 in Yuma, Arizona, didn’t have the quick finishes of last week’s card, but still left fans in attendance with some interesting, if not controversial, fights. In case you couldn’t tell by the headline, the bantamweight tournament semifinals gave us Eduardo Dantas vs. Alexis Vila as the bantamweight tournament finale. Yet both fights seemed to involve controversial decisions made by the judges.
In the main event of the evening, WEC veteran Marcos Galvao took on Alexis Vila, who you may remember as the guy that practically zombified Joe Warren in the bantamweight quarterfinals. In an extremely fast paced fight, Galvao seemed to land more strikes, and as the fight went on, stuff Vila’s takedown attempts. However, the strikes that Vila landed seemed much harder. The judges gave the fight to Alexis Vila, which warranted boos from those in attendance. Watch the fight and judge for yourself whether or not the boos were justifiable.
Vila vs. Galvao, part two.
Likewise, Eduardo Dundas stayed very active, pushing the pace for the entire fight during his bout with season three bantamweight tournament finalist Ed West. Dundas ended up getting the decision, but one judge saw the fight for West. We have yet to confirm whether or not that judge confused West with Dundas. And yes, we have videos below so you can judge for yourself.
Also of note, Bellator Light-heavyweight Champion Christian M’Pumbu was involved in a non-title fight with YAMMA Pit Fighting champion Travis Wiuff. M’Pumbu, who doesn’t cut weight for his fights, spent the first two rounds on his back, being overpowered by the much larger Wiuff. While M’Pumbu managed to almost finish Wiuff in the third round, it wasn’t enough, as Wiuff defeated M’Pumbu. While Travis Wiuff doesn’t get the title for his efforts, it’s safe to say the man has earned a spot in next season’s light-heavyweight tournament. This marks the first non-title superfight in Bellator where the champion has lost to the challenger. Also, lightweight prospect RicardoTirloni earned the main card’s only finish by quickly choking out Steve Gable. Tirloni improves to 14-1 with the victory.
Full results, courtesy of Pro MMA Now:
MAIN CARD (MTV2):
Alexis Vila def. Marcos Galvao by split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
Eduardo Dantas def. Ed West by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Travis Wiuff def. Christian M’Pumbu by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Ricardo Tirloni def. Steve Gable by submission (rear-naked choke) Rd 2 (3:54)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike.com):
Richard Hale def. Carlos Flores by knockout (punch) Rd 1 (:18)
Kobe Ortiz def. Edgar Garcia by knockout (punch) Rd 1 (4:06)
Erin Beach def. Roscoe Jackson by submission (rear-naked choke) Rd 1 (3:52)
Jade Porter def. Nick Piedmont by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Steve Steinbeiss def. Dano Moore by submission (rear-naked choke) Rd 1 (4:52)
Dantas vs West, parts one and two